What Is a ?

A volcano is a mountain or hill, where molten rock erupts through the surface of the earth.

A volcano has a vent or chimney that allows , ash and gas to escape from a magma chamber below the surface of the earth.

The name ‘volcano’ is taken from the Roman god of fire, Vulcan.

Lava glows white to red hot as it flows. The temperature of lava ranges between 700˚C and 1200˚C… that’s hot! What Is a Volcano?

+Magma is the liquid rock inside a volcano.

Lava is the liquid rock that flows out of a volcano. + Guess how many volcanoes there are in the world:

There are around 1,510 active volcanoes in the world. Answer We know of at least 80 volcanoes that lie beneath the ocean. Mount Kilimanjaro in Tanzania is a dormant volcano. This means it is inactive - for now. Its last eruption is thought to have+ beenIceland Europe + about 200,000+North years America ago. Home to 130 volcanoes, Iceland has a Records from as long ago as 1500BC show Mount St Helens isvolcanic close to eruption the town on of average once every The ‘Ringhow of active Fire’ containsMount Etna 75% is. of Vesuvius the world’s famously HawaiiPortland, Oregon.five In 1980years.+ it Theerupted most famous and active +Tectonicvolcanoes. Platesdestroyed 452 volcanoes the Roman stretch town from of Pompeii the tip ofand on Hawaiiwith was the created loss ofby 57 fivevolcano lives. volcanoes. It in last Iceland erupted is mount Hekla, which The Earth’sSouthPhilippines crust America,the is Greek broken up island theinto coast ofsections, , of North or tectonic a America, huge plates.eruption + Kilaueain has 2008 been and continually scientistshas erupted believeerupting 18it sinceistimes only since 1104, the last They movedown Mountconstantly throughtore Pinatubo the but Japanisland only is andanin by half.active into a few New volcano. centimetres Zealand. It had each year. a matter of time before it erupts again.Photo courtesy of bslax28 @ flickr.com This1983! movement Loihibeen is ancausesdormant underwater the fortime plates almost involcano. to2000. slip500 against years but each other. Photo courtesy of bslax28 @ flickr.com ThePhoto +result courtesy of ronardios canerupted @ flickr.combe an in earthquake1991 and is orregarded volcanic as eruption. one of the most destructive volcanic eruptions of recent + times. Why Are Volcanoes Dangerous to People?

There are many dangers that are caused by a volcanic eruption, such as: • Flash floods • Tsunamis • Rock falls • Earthquakes • Mud flows

The dangers pose many problems that sometimes last long after the eruption itself, such as: • buildings destroyed leaving people homeless; • ash clouds spoil crops leading to food shortages; • dust from the eruption causing illness; • poisonous gases released into the atmosphere that are dangerous to plants, animals and humans; • bad weather and dark skies. In 1995, a volcano erupted on the Caribbean island of Montserrat. It buried the capital city in 12m of mud, destroyed the airport and docks and the population of the southern island was evacuated for their own safety.

Photo courtesy of Leonora (Ellie) Enking @ Flickr.com Why Do People Choose to Live near Volcanoes?

Scientists estimate that 1 in 10 people live near a volcano.

While it is dangerous to live close to a volcano, the surrounding slopes provide rich fertile soil which makes the area a good place to farm.

Did you know ...?

There are volcanoes on other planets too. Triton is Neptune’s largest volcano but instead of releasing lava, it releases ice! towers above the town of Catania in Sicily. It is Europe’s most active volcano.

Photo courtesy of gnuckx @ Flickr.com What Are the World’s Most Dangerous Volcanoes?

There are different ways to decide whether a volcano is ‘dangerous’. The simplest way to label a volcano is to determine whether a volcano is:

Active - has erupted in recorded history.

Dormant - not active but expected to erupt again.

Extinct - is not expected to erupt again. Click on each volcano to find out more.

Location: Naples, Italy Volcano Type: Last erupted: 1944 Elevation: 1,281m

Interesting Facts • Best known for the eruption of 79AD that destroyed the Roman towns of Pompeii and Herculaneum. • Overshadows the city of Naples, 5 miles to the east. • Home to 3 million people. • Plinian eruption, characterised by huge columns of ash and gas.

Back Mount Nyiragongo

Location: , Democratic Republic of Congo Volcano Type: Stratovolcano Last erupted: 2016 Elevation: 3,470m

Interesting Facts

• Best known for its large lava lakes. • During a recent eruption, lava travelled at 60km per hour. The people of Goma were rescued, but 147 people were killed and 4,500 buildings were destroyed. Photo courtesy of Radio Okapi @ flickr.com

Back Popocatépetl

Location: Near Mexico City, Mexico Volcano Type: Stratovolcano Last erupted: 2005-2016 (ongoing) Elevation: 5,426m

Interesting Facts • Known as ‘Popo’. • In 2016, a plume of ash which Photo courtesy of Russ Bowling @ flickr.com travelled 5km into the sky was recorded. • Covered in a glacier, it has the potential to create vast mud slides should it erupt. • Mexico City, home to 20 million people, is only 70km away.

Back Krakatau

Location: Between Java and Sumatra, Indonesia Volcano Type: Stratovolcano Last erupted: 2014 Elevation: 813m

Photo courtesy of RDPixelShop @ flickr.com Interesting Facts • Famous for the eruption in 1886 which caused the death of 36,000 people. • The 1886 eruption also caused devastating tsunamis on Java and Sumatra.

Back Changbaishan

Location: China Volcano Type: Stratovolcano Last erupted: 1903 Elevation: 2,744m

Photo courtesy of Wo Shing Au @ flickr.com Interesting Facts • Located on the border between North Korea and China. • Also known as Mount Paektu or Mount Baekdu. • Recently shown an increase in the frequency of activity. • When Changbaishan erupted in 969AD, it was the largest eruption for 100,000 years.

Back Location: Pasto, Colombia Volcano Type: Stratovolcano Last erupted: 2010 Elevation: 4,276m

Interesting Facts Photo courtesy of DAVID [email protected] • 450,000 people live in Pasto on its eastern slopes. • Became active again in 1988. • In 1993, an eruption killed nine people who were on a scientific expedition to the volcanic summit. • Since 2000, Galeras has erupted almost every year.

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Location: Manila, Philippines Volcano Type: Complex or compound volcano Last erupted: 1977 Elevation: 311m

Interesting Facts Photo courtesy of therealbrute @ flickr.com • Since 1572, there have been 33 recorded eruptions. • Situated 31 miles from Manila, home to 1.6 million people. • Activity with earthquakes and steam recorded since 1991.

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Location: Java, Indonesia Volcano Type: Stratovolcano Last erupted: 1977 Elevation: 2,911m

Interesting Facts

• Mount Merapi means ‘mountain of fire’. Photo courtesy of Jimmy McIntyre @ flickr.com • Has produced more lava flow than any volcano in the world. • Has erupted regularly since 1548. • Lava flow has been recorded as travelling at 70 mph. • In the 2010, 353 people were killed and 320,000 were made homeless.

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Location: Hawaii Volcano Type: Shield volcano Last erupted: 1984 Elevation: 4,169m

Interesting Facts

• Largest volcano in the world. Photo courtesy of Lauren Bacon @ flickr.com • One of five volcanoes making up Hawaii. • Has been erupting regularly for 700,000 years with 33 eruptions since 1843. • Mauna Loa means ‘long mountain’. • It rises 4km above sea level, but is 17km high from its base on the sea bed.

Back Mount Etna

Location: Catania, Sicily Volcano Type: Stratovolcano Last erupted: 2017 Elevation: 3,350m

Interesting Facts • Europe's highest and most active volcano. • Astronauts on the International Space Station photographed the ash plume from an eruption in 2002. • ‘Operation Volcano Buster’ attempted to stem the lava flow using explosives but was unsuccessful.

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